Marine Invertebrate and Other Lower Animal Biosynthetic Products

Abstract

The species Homo sapiens of the mammalian order Primates includes all the races of true man. There is now evidence343 provided by Leakey in Tanzania that true man has evolved and lived in Africa at least 3.75 million years. However, one can easily estimate that many of the lower animals, especially the marine invertebrates, have been in existence for at least 1–2 billion years. In this observer’s judgment, biosynthetic evolutionary processes over such an incredibly long period would favor the development of very sophisticated chemical protective mechanisms that could be most useful in various areas of modern medical practice and specifically in cancer chemotherapy. In support of this view is the fact that invertebrates do not have a thymus system of immunological protection and therefore do not produce antibodies.135 Obviously invertebrates must have developed mechanisms of intercellular control based on as yet unknown chemical regulation.